Plastic ventilator fan



May 18, 1948.

W. W. WELCH PLASTIC VENTILATOR FAN Filed Jan. 3, 1944 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1y 8; 1948. w. w. WELCH 2,441,737

PLASTIC VENTILATOR FAN Filed Jan. 5, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented M...18, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE gra arms... Application January 3.1944, Serial No. l6,858 9M ((1230-273) This invention relates toelectric fans and more particularly to electric fans used asventilators.

An object of this invention is to provide a plastic window ventilatorwherein the supports and the housing for the fan are made of plasticmolding material.

Another object of this invention is to provide a window ventilator orthe like having a conical member mounted on the outside of the fan, sothat the fan forces the air against the conical member to thereby reducethe usually objectionable static noises.

Another object of this invention is to provide a window ventilator thatis mounted upon a composite plastic bailie assembly, or other suitablesheet material, wherein the parts may flrst be cut to the required sizeto fit the particular opening and then formed so as to provideadjustable sliding contacts.

Another object of this invention is to provide a ventilatorfan assemblywherein the support is made from a plurality of hoops positioned side byside and held together so as to support the electric fan mechanismthereon.

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, thecombination thereof and the mode of operation, as will become moreapparent from the following description.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 isa horizontal cross sectional view of the ventilator takensubstantially on the line ll of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a view of the end frame removed from the ventilatorassembly.

Figure 3 is a view of one of the hoops.

Figure 4 discloses the bailie assembly with the fan and its mountingremoved therefrom.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the brackets used in supportingthe motor.

Figure 6 is an end view of the bracket assembly drawn on a reduced scaleand removed from the ventilator.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character Ill indicates a fandriven by an electric motor I2, both the fan and the motor being shownas representative of electric fans and motors that may be used inventilators. The motor l2, having the fan It) attached thereto, ismounted in a plurality of brackets I4, each of which includes a standardi411 and an arcuate portion l4b, terminating in a flange He. The

arcuate portions i4b encircle the motor and are 7 held together by boltsl6 passing through the apertures in the flanges 14c and apertures l8 inthe adjacent brackets. Three such brackets may be used in supporting themotor. The end of each standard l4a is provided with a pair ofaperturedcars 20. The cars of these standards are attached to acylindrical supporting structure which will now be described. Thebracket arrangement for supporting the motor has been shown merely forthe purpose of illustration, without any intention of limitation. Anysuitable supporting means may be used for supporting the motor.

This cylindrical supporting structure includes a plurality of annularhoops 22, each of which includes a plurality of bosses or spacingprojections 24, these bosses or spacing projections being arranged inpairs around the periphery of the hoops. An aperture extends througheach boss. The hoops may be substantially identical .to the hoops shownin the Fukal letters Patent No. 2,294,399 and No. 2,310,772.

As clearly shown in Figure 1, five hoops have been located on the fanside of a baifle and three hoops on the opposite side of the baiile 30.The number of hoops-on each side of this battle has been shown merelyfor the purpose of illustration. The number of hoops may be changed.

The baiiie 30 is provided with a ventilating opening 32 having aplurality of inwardly directed cars 34 associated with suitableapertures 36. The ears 34 are arranged in pairs and register with theprojections 24 of the hoop the apertures 38 registering with theapertures 25 extending through the projections and the hoops.

In order to conceal the motor, an end member 40 provided witha'plurality of apertures 42 arranged in pairs. extends over one end ofthe hoop assembly. A conical deflecting cone 44 and a capping member 46extend over the. opposite end of the hoop assembly. When the ventilatoris used in a window or any other type of an opening in an outside wallor in a partition, the conical member 44 and the capping member 46 arelocated on the outside of the wall. The conical member and the hoops onthe same side of the bailie, which hoops are inclined parallel to theelements of the conical member, cooperate to form what may be referredto as a no draft" ventilator assembly when the fan is not in use. Forsome reason this arrangement of the conical member and the inclinationof the hoops on the outside is very efiective in preventing rain, sleetand snow from passing through the ventilating opening, even though noshutter is used.

The conical member 44, by being positioned on the outside and directlyin front of the propeller blades, prevents wind from blowing directlyupon 3 the fan blades, thereby eliminating static wind noises which arevery objectionable in connection with many ventilating fans now on themarket. One of the big advantages of this fan assembly is the quietnessof operation through the use of the cone.

The ears 20 of the brackets l4 project between the hoops, the aperturesin the ears registering with the apertures 25, so that the entireassembly may be held together by a plurality of bolts or rods 50, havingthreaded thereon nuts 52. These bolts or rods extend through theapertures 25, through the apertures 38 in the baille 30, through theapertures in the cars 20 in the brackets l4, through the apertures 42 inthe end member 40 and through suitable apertures in the margin of theconical member 44 and are attached in any suitable manner to member 46.A switch 53 for controlling the fan motor may be mounted in any suitableposition, as for example, in member 40, as clearly shown in Figure 1.

This entire assembly may be mounted in a window opening or any otheropening in a wall, such as a transom, so as to draw air from one side ofthe wall to the opposite side. This may be an outside wall or apartition, as for example, exhausting air from a hotel room into acorridor or ventilation shaft. This permits rapid replacement of the hotair in a sleeping room by exhausting the air from the room so as to drawin cooler air.

In order to facilitate installation, the baffle member 30, which may bemade from a plastic or semi-plastic material, or any other suitablematerial, formed to the proper contour and assembled into the fan unit,is shorter than the average opening into which it is to be mounted.Members 56, which consist of one piece of plastic or semi-plasticmaterial, or any other suitable material, and provided with beads 54,are severed from larger pieces to the proper size for the particularinstallation. These pieces have a sliding contact with the'channels inthe margins of member 30, so as to be adjustable to fit the exact widthof the window opening. For some purposes, several sizes of members '58may be kept in storage. When an order is received, members 56 of theproper size are selected from the supply on hand and used with theparticular installation. If the ventilator is to be installed in anextremely wide window, pieces 56 would be much longer than if theventilator were to be installed in a window not much wider than thelength of members 30.

As clearly shown in Figure 1, the hoops are inclined, so as to point inthe general direction toward the center of the ventilating opening inthe battle. This results in an assembly wherein the hoops are inclinedin the general direction of the air streams. The air is drawn from theinside between the hoops and through the openings in the end member 40located to the right of the baille as shown in Figure 1. This results inthe air exhausted by the ventilator bein drawn from the room in alldirections toward the fan. The air intake is substantially in radialdirections, all pointing toward the opening in the baille. The exhaustair, in passing through the opening in the baiile, is directed outwardlythrough the hoops located on the left side of the baiile, as shown inFigure 1. The air, upon being exhausted through the opening in thebaflle .30, is forced against the conical member 44 and dispersedradially in general directions parallel to the elements of the conicalmember. This dispersion of the air results in a quiet operation oi thefan. Quietness of fans is very desirable. Especially is quietnessdesirable when the fans are used for exhausting air from sleeping rooms.Fan noises are very annoying, especially to persons trying to sleep. Thefan disclosed herein,

utilizing the deflecting cone 44, satisfies the requirements for quietoperation.

The openings in member 4'0 have been shown as arcuate in this particulardisclosure; but need not be arcuate, as any other suitably shapedopenings may be used within the purview of this invention. The hoops 22,the end member 40', the conical member 44, the capping member 48 and thebaffle members 30 and 56 are all preferably made from some moldablematerial or from any other suitable material.

Although the preferred embodiment of the device has been described, itwill be understood that within the purview of this invention variouschanges may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement ofparts, the combination thereof and mode of operation, which generallystated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects setforth, as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

-Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a ventilating assembly having a fan driven by an electric motor,the combination of a vertically disposed baiile member having an aircirculating opening, said baiile member having a plurality of aperturedears projecting inwardly into the opening, with a plurality. ofidentical hoops having apertured bosses, the apertures through thebosses registering with the apertures in the ears of the baiiie,retaining rods extending through the apertures for clamping the hoopsand the bame into a rigid structure, said hoops surrounding the fan andthe motor, and bracket means for supporting the motor in fixed spacedrelation with respect to the hoops so that as the fan propels the air itforces the air through the opening in the battle.

2. A ventilating fan assembly having a fan driven by an electric motor,the combination including a vertically disposed baille having anopening, said baflle having a plurality of apertures surrounding theopening, a plurality of identical annular hoops having apertures. saidhoops being inclined towards the opening in the baille, said hoopssurrounding the fan and the motor, means for holding the hoops in spacedrelation from each other, the apertures in the hoops registering witheach other and with the apertures in the baflle, retaining rodsextending through the apertures for clamping the hoops and the bailleinto a rigid structure, and means for supporting the motor and the fanwithin said hoops so as to cause the fan to circulate air through theopening in the baille, the inclination of the hoops causing the air toflow inwardly towards the center of the opening on one side thereof andoutwardly upon the opposite side thereof.

3. A ventilating fan assembly having a fan driven by an electric motor,the combination including a vertically disposed baflle having an aircirculating opening therein, a plurality of identical hoops arrangedside by side, some of the hoops being mounted on one side of the bailleand other hoops on the opposite side of the baffle so that the hoopssurround the fan and the motor, the opening through the hoopsregistering with the opening in the baflle, means for clamping the hoopsand the baiiie into a rigid structure, and

means for supporting the motor within the hoops. so that the fancirculates air through-the opening in the baille.

4. A ventilating fan assembly having a fan cluding a vertically disposedbaiiie having an air circulating opening therein, said baflle havingapertured ears extending into the opening, a plurality of identicalhoops arranged side by side, the opening through the hoops registeringwith the opening in the baille, said hoops surrounding the fan and themotor, means extending through the apertures in the ears for clampingthe hoops and the baiile into a rigid structure, means for supportingthe motor within the hoops so that the fan circulates air through theopening in the baflle, and means extending over the end hoop forshielding the motor.

5. A ventilating fan assembly having a fan driven by an electric motor,the combination including a vertically disposed baflle assemblyincluding a center portion having an air circulating opening therein-andadjustable portions engaging the center portion for adjusting the sizeof the baiile, a plurality of identical hoops arranged side by side, theopening through the hoops registering with the opening in the baiiie,said hoops surrounding the fan and the motor, means for clamping thehoops and the baille into a rigid the opening-in the heme, and a conicalmember extending across the opening in the hoops with the apex directedtowards the Ian. 6. A ventilating Ian assembly having -a fan driven byan electric motor, the combination ineluding a vertically disposedbaiiie having an air said hoops surrounding the fan and the motor.

6 various sizes, a plurality of hoops arranged side :by side, therebeing a plurality of hoops on each side of the baiile, said hoopssurrounding the fan and the motor, the opening through the hoopsregistering with the opening in the baflie, means for clamping the hoopsand the baflle into a rigid structure, and a plurality of bracketsattached to the hoopsfor supporting the motor of the fan. 8. Aventilating fan assembly having a fan driven by an electric motor, thecombination including a baille assembly including a center portionprovided with channel-shaped margins along ,two sides thereof, saidcenter portion having an air circulating opening therein, and a pair ofadjustably mounted bame portions having beads slidably mounted in saidchannels so as to per- .mit adjustment oi the baille assembly toaccommodate window openings. oi various sizes, means for supporting thefan and the motor so as to exhaust air through the opening in thebaiile, and means located on the outside or the baiile for dispersingthe exhausted air, said means including a conical member having the apexdirected toward the fan to disperse the air in directions substantiallyparallel to the elements of the conical member.

. 9. A ventilating i'an assembly having a fan driven by an electricmotor, the combination including a baiile assembly including a centerportion provided with channel-shaped margins along two sides thereof,said center portion having an air circulating opening therein, and apair or ad- .justably mounted baiiie portions having beads slidablymounted in said channels so as to permit adjustment or the bailleassembly to accommodate window openings of various sizes, means attachedto the baille for supporting the tan and the electric motor in positionto exhaust air through'the opening in the baille, and air dispersingmeans mounted on the exhaust side or the baflle, said air dispersingmeans including a conical member having its apex directed toward theopening through the hoops registering with.

the opening in the baiile, means extending through the apertures in theearsfor clamping the hoops and the bailie into a rigid structure.

means for supporting the motor within the hoops, s

so that the ian circulates air through the opening-in the baiiia'meansextending over the end boon for shielding the motor, and a conicalmember extending across the opening inthe hoops withthe apexdirected-towards the. 1an'.-;-

7. A ventilating tan driven by an electric motor, the'combinati eludinga vertically eluding a center portion providedwith channelshaped marginsalong two sides thereoi', saidcenter portion having an air circulatingopening";

therein, and a pair of adjustably mountedbafle portions having beadsslidably. mounted in said channels so as to permit adjustment orthebaille assembly to accommodate window openings 0!.

the fan, against which conical member the exhaust air is dispersed indirections substantially parallel to the elements of the conical member.

WILLIAM W. WELOH.

OBS CITED ,Thei'ollowingrei'ere'nccsareotreeordinthemeotthispatent:

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